Yevgeniy Borisovitch 'Eugene' Marshalik, a 19-year-old male, tragically lost his life on March 14, 2007, while serving as an auxiliary police officer in New York City. A United States Army veteran, Marshalik had been a member of the New York City Police Department's Auxiliary Police Section for thirteen months, assigned to the 6th Precinct in Greenwich Village. He was also a student at New York University, studying politics and economics.
On that fateful evening, Marshalik and his partner, Auxiliary Officer Nicholas Pekearo, were on foot patrol when they heard a description of a murder suspect over their radio.
The suspect, David Garvin, had just entered a pizzeria in Greenwich Village, asked for a menu, and then shot an employee in the back fifteen times. Unarmed, Marshalik and Pekearo spotted Garvin at the corner of Bleecker and Sullivan Streets. They ordered him to drop the bag he was carrying. Garvin initially complied but then suddenly punched Marshalik in the face, knocking him to the ground before fleeing on foot. The two auxiliary officers immediately gave chase. As they closed in, Garvin drew a firearm and opened fire.
Pekearo sought cover behind a parked car, but Garvin ran up behind him and shot him six times, killing him. Garvin then approached Marshalik, who was also attempting to find cover, and shot him once in the head, killing him instantly. Soon after, responding officers from the 6th Precinct arrived and confronted Garvin. After another exchange of gunfire, during which Garvin fled into a store before emerging and firing again, he was shot and killed by the officers. The suspect was found to be carrying two handguns and over 100 rounds of ammunition. An investigation later confirmed that Garvin, who had a history of mental illness, acted alone. The line-of-duty deaths of Marshalik and Pekearo prompted the NYPD to begin issuing bulletproof vests to its auxiliary members.
